Dance with me

Transitions.... Too Many

2010-08-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

I do know that some transitions just come as part of life but this summer I feel overwhelmed with them. ACU has a new president. Highland has a new preacher. Both of my daughters will be seniors this year...one in high school and one in college. The Halsteads and the Gibsons just moved...one to Nashville and the other to Boston.
Can I just say that I am not one who usually fights change but right now I want to. I loved having Royce Money as the president of ACU. I loved having Mike Cope as the one who directed my spiritual thoughts every Sunday morning. I love having my children close by. And I loved having the Halsteads and the Gibsons as close friends....close in heart but also close in distance.
I am not saying that our new president or our new preacher will not be amazing...I am counting on that. I am not saying that I don't want my children to grow up....I do and I am oh so proud of them. And I am not saying that the Halsteads and the Gibsons should have stayed in Abilene...they are beginning a new part of their journeys and I am thrilled for them.
I am saying that I feel a little as if the rug has been pulled out from under me and I have to again decide who I am and where I stand and adjust to new career leadership and new spiritual leadership....adjust how I parent.....adjust who I hang out with. I am not saying that is bad but sometimes introspection mades me see things about myself that are not pretty and that is not comfortable.
I have been grouchy all weekend....for lots of reasons....these included. I think that I am in for a bumpy ride these next few months....the outcome is usually good but the ride itself can be ugly.

I Miss Snow

2010-02-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

Let me admit right up front....I am homesick. I am feeling like I am missing out...on the snow, the sense of community while digging out, the snowmen, the sledding, the hot chocolate, the shoveling, the blizzardy snow, the shimmering snow in the sunlight, the busy and crazy grocery store, the treacherous drive to that busy grocery store. I am missing my friends who are in the snow right now. I want to walk down the street and talk to Maureen and invite her over for cocoa and biscuits. I want to put candles in the snow to line my driveway with light. I want to drive to Ann's and sit by the fire and talk for hours while our kids play in the snow and possibly sit in the hot tub while the snow falls. I want to throw a snowball. I want to be stuck at home for several days and make warm food for my family. I would even enjoy getting stuck at work in labor and delivery and sleep in the hospital to work again the next day....and possibly play dodgeball in the hall while waiting for patients to show up.
I need to visit but I can't decide when it is the best season to visit. I miss the lush summer, the softly green spring with the pastel blossoms, the colorful and crisp fall and the snow. I miss the snow.

Some Recent Family Shots

2010-01-30T06:35:00.001-08:00

A Few Puzzling Days

2010-01-28T20:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, the hair experiment has been a failure. Well, not really a failure...maybe a success but I am not very talented at modifying my behavior. I could tell that by the end of the week it was working....and by Sunday again I had great hair. But I have not been feeling well and so, every morning I want to wash my hair because it just makes me feel better all day. But I can tell now that my hair is drier from washing it so often...so, can I break the habit of washing my hair every day?
Weather today was crazy. Dark and pouring down rain....flooding. Michelle, the NP in our office, and I had to go to lunch on the other side of campus. A fancy lunch and the water was running all over and coming up to about midcalf. We went a roundabout way to my car trying to avoid the water but our shoes filled with water. I was carrying my cowboy/wagon train/Indian umbrella and trying to shield us from the wind. Michelle gave commentary just like Man Vs. Wild and we laughed and splashed our way there and back. We took our shoes off under the fancy table and listened politely. Crazy. We might get more crazy weather tonight. Maybe a delayed opening....yay!
I have lately been wanting to step inside other people's heads and know what they are thinking. Random people and people that I know. The little old lady who works in the Bean. The girls who wear Ugg boots and short shorts at the same time. The sweet student who always holds the door for everyone as they walk into chapel.
Just wondering.
I also wonder what is going through people's heads when they think that it is okay to be nasty when it comes to politics. They wouldn't dream of talking like that about anything else but politics somehow makes it okay.
Don't understand.
Okay, doing well on the sugar fast. No sugar since Monday. Not doing as well with the water part.
And Joy.....yes, sometimes I feel it being sucked away but because I am aware, I am hanging onto it.

Hair Experiment Update

2010-01-23T08:51:00.000-08:00

Well, here is how the week has gone as far as my hair goes. Monday-washed hair as usual. Tuesday-didn't wash but had to use blowdryer so that I didn't look crazy all day. Hair felt really dirty about midafternoon and put it in a ponytail...not so bad like that. Worked out that night and by Wednesday morning my hair was disgusting. Wednesday-felt amazing to wash my hair but all day my hair was a little frizzy. Thursday-washed out bangs because they looked terrible but all in all still saved me time. Friday-washed hair as normal and again it was pretty disgusting by then. Had a great hair day. Saturday (today)- just rinsed hair in shower and put conditioner on the ends. Doesn't look too bad at the moment. We will see how it holds up as the day wears on.
And yes, Ann, today I thought it might be a good idea, if my hair was crazy, to wear my baseball hat. Might have to resort to that later.
And John, you can always come up with a great story....no matter what. I can always count on you for that.

Another New Thing for the New Year

2010-01-20T16:36:00.001-08:00

Okay, one more thing that I am experimenting with this new year. I need suggestions and helpful hints for this process.
Everyday since I was in intermediate school (middle school, junior high, whatever you call it) I have showered and washed my hair every morning...yes, there have been exceptions...Saturdays when I felt like being a slob and when I have to get up too early to even think about a shower. Everyday I have washed my hair and did the whole blowdry thing. I have finally found a way to do that that actually works....I was never very good at it. I have now decided to try to not wash my hair as often. My hair is very fine and seems like it is dirty way too fast but I want to conserve water and money and energy and time...so, starting this week I am only washing my hair every other day. So, if you see me and you think that something doesn't look right....that is probably the reason.
So, any ideas to make this easier or any helpful hints from your own experience. And all you guys out there with your perfectly bald heads....I don't want to hear from you. I am jealous of the ease of your bald head and I don't think that you get to give any input into this discussion.

Improvements for the New Year

2010-01-19T19:55:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about all the normal things that people commit to at the beginning of a new year and I already told you about the joy thing and yes, I will probably be writing about that all year but I am thinking about physical things right now.
Today Abundant Life had their health screening at ACU. It is a wellness program for ACU employees. My bloodwork was excellent but there are other areas that need fixing. I am just never sure how to go about all that....I know, I know....eat less, exercise more. Too general for me. I need more guidance than that but....too much guidance and I will fail...too many rules. So how do you approach it?
I have made some choices that will grow as the year progresses.
Drink more water.
Starting January 25th I will do a sugar fast until Lucy's birthday.
I am going to sleep more...typing fast so I can go to bed on time.
I am adding one workout to my week.

Last year without dietary changes I lost 12 pounds....just working out and being more conscious of food.
But.....this year I turn 50 in October...I am toying with idea of a 50 lb. weight loss by the time I turn 50. Again, I don't want to scare myself out of progress.

Do you have any physical goals that you want to achieve this year? And do you think that my idea is crazy?

Martin Luther King

2010-01-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

"First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action;" who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a "more convenient season."

Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."

...

"In spite of my shattered dreams of the past, I came to Birmingham with the hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our cause, and with deep moral concern, serve as the channel through which our just grievances would get to the power structure. I had hoped that each of you would understand. But again I have been disappointed. I have heard numerous religious leaders of the South call upon their worshippers to comply with a desegregation decision because it is the law, but I have longed to hear white ministers say, "follow this decree because integration is morally right and the Negro is your brother." In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churches stand on the sideline and merely mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard so many ministers say, "those are social issues with which the gospel has no real concern.", and I have watched so many churches commit themselves to a completely other-worldly religion which made a strange distinction between body and soul, the sacred and the secular.

So here we are moving toward the exit of the twentieth century with a religious community largely adjusted to the status quo, standing as a tail-light behind other community agencies rather than a headlight leading men to higher levels of justice."

Words from the jail in Birmingham 1963.

Have you missed me?

2010-01-16T07:39:00.000-08:00

I know that I haven't blogged in forever. Sorry. Or maybe you were relieved. I am always debating about what is appropriate to put here and what is not. So, here's to hoping that what I post today is appropriate.
This last year has been good. Yes, it had its challenges but yes, it was good.
My year started with Leadership Summit with the College of Business, as it did this year also. 2010 was my third year to go with COBA to Frontier Ranch in Colorado and spend an amazing week with ACU students and be challenged to live life intentionally. Rick Lytle and Tim Johnston, you are both amazing traveling companions. You are fun and easy to be with and great conversationalists. Thanks for always including me in this powerful week.
Our country started off the year with a new president and I could never put into words how much that meant to me. Obama's inauguration was such a huge step for our country. I still love that he is our president but I am saddened by the hateful words that people are putting out on the internet about him. I don't understand it. I especially don't understand it when it is coming from people who claim to be people of faith. It makes me nauseous when I read those words that sound so angry and so afraid. What are people so afraid of?
We redid our family room this spring and both of our cats ended up being outside cats because their litter box habits needed some improvement. Then later this year, in October, Mystic died. We were sad and sometimes I still forget that she is not here and it still tugs at my heart. She was ornery but she was a part of our family for 15 years.
In February I went to Maryland and spent a weekend with Ann. I needed some Ann time and I needed some city time. I got both of them but it is never enough Ann time. I miss you, Ann, everyday....especially in the everyday.
Lucy turned 16 in February and got her driver's license. She has always been very independent but now that independence has been expanded. She has been fiercely responsible and I am proud of her for that. She is growing up and it is a delight to watch. She has great friends and is a great student and she is so much fun. We only have a year and a half until she goes to college. We will miss her being home with us.
In May, due to the generosity of a very sweet man, I got to go to California to Trudy McCall's wedding in Fresno, California. Trudy, you are a beautiful and accomplished young woman. I loved being a part of that celebration. Thank you, Mike. There are some friends who become family and they are definitely some of those friends. You have been my family since I was 11 years old and that has grown deeper through hardship and loss and I am so very grateful for those relationships.
In June I went to Colorado and reconnected with some kindred spirits. You Siggie friends filled my heart and gave me courage to move forward. I so loved those few days together. Let's do it again.
So many leadership positions changing. Mike Cope resigned in the summer and we are in the process of looking for someone to fill that space. President Money, ACU president, is moving into the role of Chancellor and they have announced the two candidates for his position....Rick Lytle and Phil Schubert. Both good men and both would do a great job.
In September we received our best gift of the year. Peyton Taylor Danley was born. She is gorgeous and sweet and we wish that we could see her more often.
December brought our whole family together with my mom included. Such a good feeling to have everyone here...gathered around the table, laughing, talking, playing...just getting reacquainted. Thank you Mom, Corey, Brittney, Ava, Peyton, Drew, Bryn, Mary Kate and Lucy for making our lives full of joy. You were all my best Christmas gifts.
Tim and I celebrated 26 years of marriage. He is the best gift of my whole life and I don't deserve him. I love him fiercely and I hope that he knows that.
Well, I am ending with two new year's questions for you.
I have a couple of times done the typical new year's exercise of what is your word for the year? Well, this year my word is joy. I will talk about that more later and how that looks throughout the year. But....what is your word for the year?
I also took many things away from leadership summit this year but the one thing that has stuck is something that I am going to share with my whole family. I want you all to answer this question....what is your big dream? (not....what is your reasonable dream but what is your big dream?)
Happy new year!

Not a Good Week

2009-10-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

Can we start this week over?
Our old kitty, Mystic, died this week. We knew she was going downhill fast and I was home sick on Wednesday and looked out to check on the cats and realized that Mystic was bleeding. Called Tim and then Mary Kate and Lucy. By the time that we got her to the vet she had died. So sad. She was cantankerous but loved. She provided us with entertainment over the years.
Next, I just couldn't get well and suddenly realized that I felt the way I did when I had pneumonia and yes, I do have pneumonia. Pray that I recover quickly.
Then, last night our fish, Buddy, died. Lucy had just changed his water yesterday and he always seems traumatized by that but I looked in the bowl before I went to bed and he was lying on the bottom and upside down. We were sad. He was a very energetic fish and we liked watching him and sometimes we even talked to him.
So, don't ask us to petsit for you in the near future.

Peyton

2009-09-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

There is a new little soul in this world and her name is Peyton. She is now just a little more than a day old and I want to pour words over her...words of love and encouragement.
Peyton, may you know love...love in its purest sense...love that holds your heart and won't let it go....love for something higher and greater than people but also love for people....the love of your family (that includes me), the love of friends...friends that hold fast and walk beside....who do not judge but guide...
I pray that you possess courage...courage to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves....courage to speak when words need to be spoken, words of truth.....courage to be yourself even when you know that others will disapprove...courage to be angry when you know that others will be surprised.
I also pray those graceful qualities of gentleness and peaceful over you...gentleness can soften even the harshest moment and a peaceful countenance will squelch many an argument.
May you walk in this world with your head held high and feet firmly planted in the love of your family and your hands reaching for God.
Can't wait to meet you.

Ted Kennedy and Healthcare

2009-08-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about Ted Kennedy all day. The first time that I remember hearing his name was in 1st or 2nd grade and we had taken a field trip to the Capitol building. A little girl in my class had a dad who was a senator or an important staffer...I only remember that her name was Sabrina. She was tiny and beautiful. Long blonde hair that always curled just right and she was an amazing artist. A very elegant little girl. Her dad gave us a special tour of the Capitol. We got to stand on the Senate floor and meet lots of Senators and House members. We met Tip O'Neill. I didn't know at the time that it was significant but now I realize how priviledged that tour had been. We went to the Senate prayer room...so pretty and quiet. But the moment I remember the most is the elevator ride. Yes, we thought the elevator was cool....we were six and seven year olds....don't they all think that elevators are fun? But my group rode on the elevator with a very large man with a thick Northeastern accent. My friend's dad introduced us to him and he got down on our level and a huge smile spread across his face. He wanted to know each of our names. He shook our hands. That man was Ted Kennedy. He felt warm, kind and full of life. I was impressed.
In high school we were assigned a project that required us sitting in on Senate committees. I don't remember what the committee was....I only remember that Ted Kennedy was the chairman of that particular committee. I will look it up when I am done with this blog. He commanded the room but not in an overbearing way...you just knew who was in charge. He listened intently to each speaker and asked thoughtful questions. He looked over his glasses and smiled often. He shook our hands at the end of the session. He knew that we were students and were there on assignment. Again, he wanted to know all of our names. Again, he felt warm and kind and full of life.
I am angered by the negative words spoken about him from people who don't appreciate his style of politics. He was a Democrat and he fought hard for what he believed in. Aren't we all supposed to fight hard for what we believe in? We live a country that doesn't decide all that for us and aren't we glad? Aren't we glad that we can speak out? But, please don't just use that free speech to lash out...use to make change for the good of us all.

I wish that Ted Kennedy was still around to see us through the healthcare reform. I was listening to a Senator on CNN today talking about healthcare and talking about how we all want a choice and that of course, as a newly married woman she chose to pay for maternity coverage. The more she talked, the angrier I became. Yes, all of us want choice. But right now there are so many people who don't have a choice. They don't have insurance and yes, they can choose to be treated for their ailments, or go for a preventative visit...but, they can't afford it. Their only choice is no healthcare. Can we live with that?
I believe the healthcare system is so like the public school system. We all pay for public school (and roads, and bridges, and Medicare, and disability, the public library, and police, and firefighters....) but you can choose to not use it and send your child to private school or homeschool. But we all still have to pay for public school....otherwise the only people to receive an education would be those who could afford it. What a shame that would be! Well, I think that healthcare is even more basic than education and we are doing exactly that...those who have money are receiving healthcare and those who don't have money are not receiving healthcare. We need to take care of each other and stop thinking only about what we think will be good for our own family.

Looked it up....Senator Kennedy was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1979. I was a senior in high school.

Heart Thoughts

2009-08-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling lately that friends are not happy with a choice I have made. That choice is to stay in the Church of Christ. I keep running this around in my brain and so now I will pour some of those thoughts out...they may not make sense but here they are.
Some of my earliest memories are of church. Sun streaming in huge glass windows. Dogwoods blooming in that floaty way that they bloom outside those same huge glass windows. Glass communion cups tinkling in their holders. My beautiful mother in a lime green dress with pearls and pretty pink lipstick. Patent leather shoes that won't touch the floor. Little white socks folded over. Voices lifted in praise. Comfortable people who love me and teach me about Jesus. Aunt June and all her silliness that gets me in trouble and probably a thump on the head. Friends who will be my friends my whole life....not everyday friends but friends that will always be there for me.
Another church...same heritage....completely different feel. Old wooden floor. Loud, boisterous singing. Feet tapping out the time on the old wood floor. Outhouses. My beloved Grandma in a flowered dress and a flashy hat singing in her little voice. People who love me...not truly for who I am ......but because I belong to a certain family that they already love. This church has a dusty parking lot and in the August heat men stand out there in the dust and smoke.
Moving on to young motherhood. Again, different church...same heritage but again, different feel. Yes, we left this church in the midst of conflict but from those early years there there was so much good. Padded pew covered in cheerios, books, and toys. Hands resting on an expectant belly. Sweet curly heads resting under my chin. People who loved my children as their own. Returning home from WaMaVa retreats exhausted but content. Our son in the waters of baptism.
Yes, I am still attending a Church of Christ and yes, there are still moments that are frustrating to me but there is also so much to love.
Voices and hands lifted in song. Children who feel loved and cherished as part of the church family. Thinking. Witnessing often people taking care of each other. An atmosphere of tolerance. Humor.
Yes, I wish that our next preacher could be a woman and yes, I wish that we had female elders. And yes, I know that I could be somewhere else and they would have that but I am willing to walk this journey with this family that I am a part of right now. I don't want my friends who have left the Church of Christ to think that I am saying that they should've stayed....not at all. I only want respect and support for my choice.
I am sure that there will be more later on this but this is just what is in my head at this very moment.

Love These Voices

2009-08-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

I have been loving Patty Griffin, thanks to Mary Kate, and then I found this on utube and it brought chills. Two beautiful voices that sound amazing together.

Mike Cope

2009-07-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Mike Cope's official last Sunday as our minister at Highland. I will miss his voice every week in my life. I loved how he has guided our hearts. He has been gentle but persistent about living our lives in a kingdom way....lives that reflect our Savior in every way possible. I have only been here for 5 of his 18 years at Highland but this 5 years have been amazing. There are so many things that I love about him being my minister....I know that I will forget something but I am going to give it a go.
I love his love for children. How he gently explains things to them and makes sure that they know they are important....sometimes letting them tell the story.
I love how he laughs so easily...once being so overcome with laughter that he couldn't stop.
I love that he is real. He has walked through grief too many times and is honest about it. Honest that it is hard and sometimes it feels impossible. Honest that sometimes we are not sure about God in the midst of all that. And confident that doubt is part of our walk.
I love that he doesn't take the scripture in the conventional-always-given-to-us kind of way. He has walked me through scripture and turned my world upside down.
I love how he always prays that God give him the gift of preaching. I believe that he has been given that gift a hundred fold.
I love that he is a reader. I know, of course, a reader of scripture but also a reader of theology, a reader of literature, a reader of newspapers, a reader of blogs....you get it.
I love that he loves to play...basketball, ping pong, dodgeball (sorry that you got hurt)
I love that he loves God's people. He ministers to people all over the world. He walks them through difficult times...difficult church times, difficult family times, and yes, those walking through grief....he's been there and he is good at reassuring words.
I love how he loses things....his ipod in his house, his remote for his sermon, the clip on mic....this makes him more human to all of us.
I love how he loves his family. You can see a different light in his eyes when they are around or he is talking about them. Chris is precious to me and I have loved getting to know him more and more...but I am especially glad that he is married to Diane. She is an amazing friend....one of a small handful of people that hear the secrets of my heart. Glad he isn't taking her away.
I love how I feel the Spirit move when he is preaching. I know that this might be weird but there have been moments that I have felt the air move...move in a way that I thought only the Spirit could move it.
I love that he is committed to women and their involvement in the kingdom. I love that he has been willing to stand up for women and their part. I know that means that he risked many things but was still willing to stand up.

I am nervous about someone else taking his place. I am nervous about them being the one to pull on our hearts. I am afraid that I might not be very receptive at first to listening to their voice and especially to taking it in. I know that they will have to earn my trust but that is part of the process and I will adjust.

Tomorrow is your day, Mike Cope. Take it all in and realize how much you are loved and how many lives you have touched.

Surprise!

2009-07-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

I answered the phone at work yesterday as I usually do. I just said, "ACU Med Clinic. This is Julie. Can I help you?" And someone giggled and said, "Hi Julie. You answered and so professionally. This is Pix and I am coming to your house tonight." Crazy! Pixie and Trudy are driving cross country to move Trudy's stuff from New York City to San Diego. They rented a truck and filled it with her stuff and are roadtripping it. They had a little setback in TN when a tire blew and the truck turned over. Stuff was smashed and they are bruised but they now have a bigger truck and less stuff and they are fine. Crazy! You should have them tell you the story sometime.
It was such a short visit but so fun to have them at our house. They are family and they could've stayed forever and that would have been fine.

Missing a Little Girl

2009-06-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

Today I am missing a certain little girl. I wish that she lived closer to us and was more a part of our everyday lives. She is adorable and affectionate, funny and smart, stubborn and sweet, active and silly. I miss her and wish that I could spend today with her.

2009-06-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

Stephanie just put up pictures on facebook of our EOX weekend in Colorado. I have been thinking about our time together ever since I left all of them. Stephanie is right. It has been hard to put into words what that weekend meant to me. None of us were best friends from college...well, maybe with the exception of Paula and Stephanie....but the rest of us were friends and were tightly connected with each other through other friends. We had many shared experiences and remembered mostly the same people. But... the connection with each one of them is so strong.
When I look at the picture I see their stories but even if I didn't know them, I would look at them and see beautiful women with light in their eyes.
I also look at the picture and wonder why they are my friends. How did that happen? I never felt like I measured up to their greatness. And yet, they have always made me feel more beautiful, more talented, nicer, and more loved than I actually am. How do they do that?
I don't want to go so long before we see each other again. I like feeling beautiful, talented, nice and loved. Who wouldn't? Wouldn't you love for them to be your friends?

Sigma Theta Chi

2009-06-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

I just had 3 amazing days with my Siggie sisters in Colorado! The weekend is so hard to put into words. Barb let us stay in her beautiful cabin with awesome views of the mountains. We had more food than we could possibly consume in one weekend. We pulled out old photos and spent hours trying to figure out who some people were in the pictures. Some of those pictures are incriminating and that made them even so much funnier. I did expect there to be more of us but I believe that the 7 who came were led by the Spirit to be there.
I can close my eyes and still see all their faces. I could have seen them in some random place and I would have recognized them immediately. They are all still beautiful and in many ways more beautiful than college days. We have all journeyed to where we are but are survivors. Survivors who have walked through the deep waters but we were not alone. We all told parts of our stories to each other and even now the tears come as I see those faces again as they shared and seeing the others' faces as they took in those stories.
We laughed at all our old inside jokes and made new ones.....Santa Fe, Frisky.....
Sunday morning we shared communion with each other. Shelley was right. That is a communion that I will always hold in my heart. Hearing all of those voices praying and looking each other in the eye as we said, "The body of Christ broken for you." and holding our communion cups up as in a toast as Barb looked us in the eyes and prayed sweet words over the blood of Jesus.
I am so glad that I was there. I am exhausted but full. Full of memories and full of the love that I received from these amazing women.
Shelley and Barb, now I am going to say this right....If you hadn't organized this, we wouldn't have had such an amazing weekend and we wouldn't being feeling this contentment this Monday morning. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Jantsen's Gift

2009-06-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

I read Jantsen's Gift by Pam Cope as soon as I could get my hands on it. Pam is related to my friends, Mike and Diane Cope, and her daughter, Crista, was my daughter's roommate at ACU. I already had a great respect for Pam and the life she was living. Living to set others free. I knew how much I loved her daughter and what an incredible friend she is to my daughter, Mary Kate. We also got to know Pam's family while in Missouri for Crista's wedding. Mary Kate had already fallen in love with all of them and then we got to stay with Pam's sister, Cheryl, and her husband, Mark. They were so gracious and so, so fun. So, yes, I already had history with this family before I read the book and I knew the story and yet, wow, I felt like I had been knocked down as I started reading it.
The first night I started reading was a Monday. I was in bed and reading and Pam's grief swept over me so hard that I couldn't stop crying. I had to close the book but the tears wouldn't stop. Pam, you were so honest and so real with us in writing this book that I felt like I was walking beside you and it was a hard place to be. That very next night I was outside doing yoga with my class beside Jacob's Dream at ACU and I was fascinated with a hawk that kept flying over and over us. I had never seen a hawk there before but it seemed to be there for a reason. I didn't know until farther into the book the significance of that hawk.
Pam, your words were convicting and so full...full of grief, full of anger, full of a deep sadness, full of the Spirit, full of the joy of redemption, full of children, full of torment, full of the pull of our hearts. You let us in. Thank you.
The love that Pam feels for the children of the world has been life changing for so many. I only hope that these words lead more to the kind of life that Pam is leading. Like Pam says near the end of the book....it doesn't mean that you have to travel the world....it could mean your very own family, your street, your neighborhood, your city....you get it....Pam, we get it.
Thank you.

Poseidon and the Bitter Bug

2009-03-24T20:30:00.001-07:00

Today! I can't wait to buy this! They are my absolute favorites and have been the songs behind my life for about 15 years. If you haven't heard them...go buy the new cd.

Jury Selection

2009-03-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

Have any of you been through jury selection before?
I did. Today.
First, we just sat in our chairs for an hour. It was very quiet and the lawyers were setting up, the police officer was drawing out a diagram, and the witnesses were sitting behind us.
Next, the lawyers and the judge addressed us. Lots of rules. The lawyers then started questioning us for jury selection. They asked the obvious questions like...Do you know any of these people-lawyers, judge, defendant, witnesses? Have you ever had any property vandalized? (this was a criminal mischief trial) Do you have any family members in law enforcement? Do you believe that you can be impartial?
Then, the state's attorney looked at me and said."Ms. Danley, do have any bumper stickers and if you do what do they say?"
Keep in mind, we are in a courtroom and the judge is still presiding and it has been very quiet and respectful. I answered yes with a kind of little giggle and said,"One of them says that well-behaved women rarely make history."
The courtroom broke out into laughter, even the judge. And then a quick thought crossed my mind...I am in one of the most conservative cities in the US and I have an Obama sticker on my car. I was a little braver knowing the state's attorney that was questioning me was a confident young black woman. "I also have an Obama sticker that says Yes, We Did and a Life is Good sticker."
The whole courtroom enjoyed my bumper stickers.
I wasn't selected but that whole process took 3 hours.
Crazy!

Just a Tuesday on Spring Break

2009-03-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

I meant to ask all of you if you are reading anything interesting. Tell me if you are. I love suggestions.

I am annoyed this morning because I am off all week and I thought that calling on Monday morning for hair appointment would be early enough to get an appointment. My hairstylist was off on Monday and will be on Friday and she is booked every day inbetween. I work Monday through Friday and it is almost impossible to get in. I can take a lunch appointment but then I have to leave early from work and get back late after lunch and inevitably some elderly woman is annoyed that I have encroached on her time slot. I can sometimes go on Wednesday after work but that encroaches on my time with the 6th grade girls. The salon is closed on Saturday. I love my hairstylist but I think I am going to have find a new one because I hate the stress of working out an appointment. Any suggestions here?

Work is going well. We have our temporary doctor and our permanent nurse practitioner and I love them both.

Sunday morning Mike Cope resigned as the minister at the Highland Church. So sad but I know that it will all be good in the end. They are staying in Abilene. I don't think I could've stood losing Diane. There is a lot more to it than what I am saying but it is all good...no bad undercurrents.

I hope the rest of Spring Break is better.

Books, Books, Books

2009-03-07T15:49:00.001-08:00

I read all the time and there are probably not many things I enjoy more than a good book....good story...or something that makes me think.
These are the books that I have read so far this year.
1.Dating Jesus-by Susan Campbell
If you grew up in the Church of Christ, you need to read this book. I am going to meet her someday, I hope.
2.Home-by Marilynne Robinson
I am in love with Marilynne Robinson and her writing...deep theology and realistic family. So good. I will read this again and I rarely read a book again.
3. Hope's Boy-by Andrew Bridge
Everyone who has done foster care, teaches school, is a school psychologist, is a school counselor, is a social worker, is a parent, or just loves children and cares about what happens to them should read this book.
4. The Middle Place-Kelly Corrigan
An honest look at life....relationship with parents, illness, death, healthcare, friends. I couldn't put this down. She is so like Anne Lamott in her style...no holding back.
5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society-Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
This is a great story. I love these characters! Katie gave me this book for Christmas. We can always pick out books for each other...we love the same kind of stories.
6. The Gathering-by Anne Enright
I think this one is best described by The New York Times: "Reckless intelligence, savage humor, slow revelation, no consolation: Anne Enright's fiction is jet dark--but how it glitters."
7. Mountains Beyond Moutains-by Tracy Kidder
I am almost done with this book about Paul Farmer and his quest to change the world and how it sees poverty and disease. He is amazing...unconventional but amazing.

Lost but Found

2009-02-24T19:45:00.000-08:00

My friend, Sue, blogged today about a beautiful baby girl born today and getting lost while coming to see her for the first time. That beautiful baby girl is named Lucy Claire, meaning clear bringer of light. Her birth story is eventful and actually very fun to tell. A few days before a scheduled C-section she was given a baby shower at the home of Tammy Selby. My mother, mother-in-law and I rode there together through a snowstorm. I kept thinking about what it would be like to get stuck and then go into labor with the only help being my mom and my mother-in-law. Lucy was breech and had hardly any amniotic fluid left. I didn't want to go into labor under those conditions. It didn't happen and we made it to the shower and home again.
I delivered as scheduled and petrified Ann in the recovery room but she recovered.
The Selbys came to see me and Lucy and brought a precious, tiny, silver baby shoe on a pink ribbon.
My mother attempted to see us that first day. She got so lost that she pulled over to ask for directions at a 7Eleven. Friendly people offered help and one of them offered to ride with her until they got to the highway. Now, remember, this is Baltimore and it is night. Mom let the man ride with her and the other car of people led her to the highway. They stopped when they got to the highway to point her in the right direction and she thought so the guy in her car could get back in the car with them. They told her that he wasn't with them. Mom! I can't believe you made it out of that alive.
Mom came to see us the next day without incident.
Sue and Dot came to visit but then couldn't get home. They got so lost that they rode around the Baltimore Beltway at least twice. The Baltimore Beltway is huge.
The next day we had a blizzard and the hospital was lonely. My roommate got to go home but only because her brother ventured out in his four wheel drive truck.
Lucy was a delicate, elegant baby. Tiny lips, big eyes, and an intense stare. Love at first sight.

Phones

2009-02-14T06:34:00.000-08:00

So many things have changed about telephones since I was growing up.
I watched a girl yesterday walking across campus while talking on her cell phone...well, not really talking....she was yelling at the person on the other end. She seemed oblivious to others listening to her yelling. This wouldn't have happened when I was growing up.
Our only phone in our house was a big black dial phone on the wall between the kitchen and the dining room. It had the shortest cord ever and my dad didn't like for us to stretch the cord. You could not have a private conversation on that phone unless you were the only one home. My dad often answered it, "Joe's Bar and Grill". Many of my friends hung up with that answer.
Where was the phone in your house growing up?
And tell me of situation with a cell phone, like mine yesterday, that wouldn't have happened before cell phones.

Did You Watch?

2009-01-20T11:06:00.001-08:00

My dad was a very bigotted man from Georgia. He grew up on a farm where they grew peanuts and tobacco. He was in the Air Force. He didn't finish school but got his GED while in the Air Force. He worked construction all my life. Today I thought about my dad. I watched Barak Obama take the oath of office...the office of President of the United States of America. I really don't know what my dad would think about today's events. My dad passed away this summer. Yes, my dad was a racist but he was also a diehard Democrat, a union man, and I don't think he would've liked John McCain.
But my dad played a part in this story in history. My dad drilled the holes that place the inaugural stand in front of the Capitol Building. They are permanent holes that are covered when not in use. That inaugural stand attaches to the Capitol that was built mostly by slaves. Each person that worked on that building and that stand has a story. They are all connected by this one event. Those holes held the stand that supported Barak Obama as he took the oath of office. Dad, you helped hold him up. All of our lives are holding him up in some way. I believe that is what the poet at inauguration was saying. We are all a part.
Did you watch and where were while you were watching?

Miss Harris, Is Your Heart Happy?

2009-01-18T21:11:00.000-08:00

Lucy had an out of this world kindergarten teacher. Her life was devoted to the children in her classroom. She was there from early in the morning until late in the evening...even in the summer. She was tall, thin, elegant, sweetly beautiful, soft spoken, African American and full of the Spirit. She called her class "her sweethearts". She read them the book Love You Forever and told them that just like the mom in the book she would always be there for them. That if they needed her when they were 10, when they were 15, when they were 30 or 50....it didn't matter...she would be there for them. She never raised her voice. She always knew where each child was academically...each day where they were and what needed to be worked on.

I often volunteered in the classroom and so many times her words to those kindergartners made me cry. She was teaching them all the basics they needed to start their journey into the world of education but she was also teaching them about life. They came out of her classroom with ideas about decency, kindness, thoughtfulness, gentleness and self control. She often asked the children if what was happening in the classroom would make Miss Harris's heart happy? The kids would answer honestly and if something needed to be corrected, they would correct it.

The week before Martin Luther King day I was volunteering in the classroom and Miss Harris read her kindergartners a book about Martin Luther King's life. She talked about what school would have been like if they had been born when MLK was a little boy. This was a classroom that was beautifully integrated and she looked around the room at all the white children and named each one of them and told them that she couldn't have been their teacher then. Then she looked at those children sitting close together whose backgrounds racially were not the same and named them and said that back then they couldn't have been friends. She looked directly at Lucy and her friend, Kiara, and said that they couldn't have been friends. Then she looked them all in the eye and asked that if Martin Luther King walked into this classroom today, would this make his heart happy? Would your friendships make his heart happy? Would he be happy that I was teaching all of you in this classroom? The children exploded with YES! Martin Luther King's heart would be happy! I had to turn away. Tears were running down my cheeks.

Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day and we are preparing as a nation to inaugurate our first African American president. I am again feeling what I felt that day in Miss Harris's classroom. Pride, a fullness of heart, hope, and excitement about what the future holds.

Miss Harris, is your heart happy? Martin Luther King, is your heart happy?

I wish I had those children to answer again for me. I want to hear their explosive response. But I know I will get to hear that explosive response from the American people on Tuesday.

Oh, how i wish I could see the smile on Martin Luther King's face....I would also give anything to see the smile on Miss Harris's face.

Sherry Burgess and Camp WaMaVa

2009-01-16T19:00:00.001-08:00

I started looking at old videos on YouTube and memories started to pour over me. I was always shy about singing in front of people. My friends knew that but they would always convince me to sing with them after Banquet at camp. Sherry Burgess and I used to sit out on the hills around camp on a blanket with Sherry's guitar, possibly some gimp, some books and a Bible and we would spend the afternoon with campers coming and going. We would read, do some arts and crafts, read scripture to each other but most of the time we would sing. Sherry was a great harmonizer and I would sing the melody and anyone else who happened to be there would add whatever they could add or just listen. Great conversation would happen on that blanket. Friendships were sealed for life. If I close my eyes I am there. Greenest grass you have ever seen. Blue sky with clouds that the imagination can make into anything that you want them to be. Towering trees with birds singing along with our music. The faces of many children...all kinds...many different backgrounds. And that smell...unique to that area of the country...I can't even describe it...you have to go there to know it. Actually, you probably have to live with it and have some memories wrapped around it in order to really smell it.
Sherry was one of the first friends to convince me to sing with her after Banquet. I remember singing these songs with Sherry. They may take you to another place also....or you may be too young...either way...they will speak to you.

25 Years with the Same Man

2009-01-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

On December 23rd Tim and I celebrated our 25th anniversary. Well, I say celebrated but we really didn't do anything big...we went out to dinner and then tried to finish our Christmas shopping. We hope to do something fun later. But yes, on the 23rd we had been married for 25 years.
I am thankful that I married the man I married. He is kind, easygoing, gentle, mature...I don't mean age...although he is older than me, a good dad, a caring husband and a follower of Jesus. 25 years has not been hard with him. We have struggled at times....financially, or argued more than usual at times, trouble with children, church problems that leaked into our home, and yet, we have always loved each other. That part was easy.
We also know that the friends we made as a family have been a big part of our marriage...
Jim and Pixie McCall- we met them at camp and they became our lifelong friends. They have walked with us through everything.
Ann and Tim Evankovich-so many fun memories that involve both or one of them and their children. One great memory that involves their apartment, our anniversary and inviting us over but they left us.
Gary and Tammy Selby-we sort of grew up with Gary but then he married Tammy and that cemented our relationship. Reading to each other's children, talking until late at night, singing, and deep discussion.
And then there were those adults who became like parents to us....
Guy and Joanne Vanderpool
Sue and Dennis Evans
Graham and Esheron McKay
We know that we wouldn't be where we are today if it wasn't for all those people in our lives. We have had great examples and those examples started in our own homes. I know that my dad wasn't someone I wanted to pattern myself after but I did learn what I didn't want my husband to be like. My mom showed me that you can live through crazy stuff and still be cheerful and love your children. Tim's parents were strong and steady. Sometimes I wanted to see some more emotion from them but their faithfulness is huge. That is enough from our parents...we can't expect more. Just as what we are giving our children is not perfect but I know there is enough good stuff that they can take away from us.
Our brothers and Tim's one sister have always been there for us and shown us what family is all about. We love being with all of them and sometimes wish that we all lived closer together.
Thank you to all of you who have walked beside us.
At our wedding Ken asked the witnesses if they would help us along this journey. Some of those people there have done just that.

Leadership Summit 2009

2009-01-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

I got to go again. I came home last Thursday. We are there for a week in Buena Vista, CO at at Young Life camp called Frontier Ranch. It is a beautiful place built into the sides of two mountains with a pool and hot tub that are fed by hot springs. I stayed in an amazing lodge where every morning I opened my curtains at 6 am so that I could watch the sunrise from my bed. Amazing!
I love my job because I love the students and this trip gives me an opportunity to be with them all week. I get to eat lunch and dinner with them and talk with them between sessions. I just love being with them.
I always come home so completely motivated to be more productive in every area of my life. I hope the students feel the same.
This You Tube video is from the talent show on the last night. I love this kid so much and he has so much talent. He is a musical theater major at ACU. You can see why.

Christmas in Amarillo

2009-01-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun being with family for Christmas. We did Christmas morning at home and then drove to Amarillo in time to eat Christmas dinner with family. The only regret I have about that visit is that Drew wasn't able to be with us. Well, yes, I wish that Corey, Brittney and Ava were there too but we knew that they weren't going to be there. Drew and Bryn decided that it was a better plan to just wait and leave with Bryn's family for Colorado instead of meeting them somewhere.
The food was delicious...all the decadent stuff that you only eat on holidays. Stacie and Katherine even made cupcakes with butterflies on top...so fancy.
We played games....fax machine, Apples to Apples, Scrabble- I didn't play this one..too competitive, and Cranium. Lucy and I were a terrible team for Cranium. Don't know why...it was kind of like how we shop together. Fax machine made us laugh so hard...American reindeer love McDonald's...inside joke...you had to be there but so funny.
So good to be with everyone: Darek-my mom's favorite, Stacie, Brady, Katherine, Lera, AJ, Janaye, Ken, Jeanette, Tim, Mary Kate and Lucy...but the real star of the show was baby Eliana. We all got to play with her, feed her, change diapers, give her a bath-well, there was a bath incident but I don't want to be censored, sing to her, and listen for her while she was sleeping. She really liked her great uncle Tim. That doesn't surprise me. Babies always like him.
We got to shop in a World Market and a Gap. Can you tell we live in Abilene?
Saturday morning when we woke up...we were staying in a hotel...too many people for one house....Tim opened the curtains and said that it was raining but it wasn't. It was snowing....hard....and sideways...so fun.
I wish that we all lived closer. It would be fun to be a part of each other's everyday lives.
We also received great news on our way to Amarillo. Corey and Brittney are having another baby! We are so excited and it makes us only wish for more time with them.

Okay, the Continuing Cat Saga

2009-01-11T18:08:00.000-08:00

Mystic is now permanently an outside cat. She peed on the floor 3 times in the course of one day and I was done. She tried to hide from me by sitting on random shelves in rooms that she doesn't usually go in. She knew that she was in trouble. I opened the door so that Tim could pick her up and put her out but she went out on her own. I guess that she knew she had no choice. She hasn't even really begged to come back in. We put her bed in the garage and gave her food and water out there also.
Just for your information...there is a new rule in the Danley household...If you pee on the floor you have to stay outside. So, just remember that if you come to visit...if you pee in on the floor, you will be put outside. Thought that I should warn everyone.

Okay, I haven't been here for awhile but I have some ideas

2009-01-10T19:24:00.000-08:00

I know that I haven't blogged in forever but I do have so many ideas for the next two weeks..so, stay tuned.
My ideas:
my 25th anniversary
new happenings at work
some fun videos that take me back to the 70s, Camp Wamava and Sherry Burgess
Old friends and crazy connections
Leadership Summit in Colorado
Christmas in Amarillo...complete with snow
the continuing cat saga

And Now for the Cat Update

2008-12-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, it seems to be a little better.
Possible scenarios:
could be that the cats are peeing in the litter box
could be that the older cat hasn't peed at all since I last yelled at her...either she is so traumatized after the last time that I yelled at her or she has a totally blocked urinary tract
could be that we got our Christmas tree and that is like one ginormous air freshener in the house
or it could be that I am now used the cat pee smell

You are welcome to come over and give me an honest opinion about which one you think that it is.

Cats!

2008-12-02T20:25:00.000-08:00

No. not the musical!

Right now our cats are lucky to be alive. Well, maybe one of them is lucky to be alive. Our old cat, Mystic, has begun to pee and poop all over the house. I thought it had stopped and everything was clean and smelling normal again but no....yesterday she peed in my bathroom, tonight she peed in my bedroom and in the family room under the computer table. I admit that I am ready to kill her. Mary Kate is afraid that I might do just that. I am so ready to give it up. Ready to get rid of the cat or make her live in the garage or with someone else.
I am not a true animal lover. I know that having pets is good for a family but I hate the mess that they make. Our house would be so much cleaner if we didn't have pets.
Any advice out there? Any advice that is doable? I don't have the time or the energy to do anything crazy right now to make this better.
Anybody? Please help.

Random Thoughts from a Random Week

2008-11-23T20:52:00.000-08:00

First of all, Marsha, I am sorry that I talked you into coming to boot camp with me. Sorry that your life is now hard because of it.

I know that Thanksgiving is this Thursday but I haven't even thought about it.

I am glad that we only have two workdays this week.

You know that if I haven't thought about Thanksgiving...then, I really haven't thought about Christmas.

I am going to be in trouble if I don't start thinking about both of them.

Good but Hard Week

2008-11-07T16:38:00.000-08:00

I will attempt to muddle through my emotional week for you.
We returned from a beautiful weekend in the Texas Hill Country to the news that our old friend, Mikel Peterson, has passed away on Friday. He was 53 years old and had a sweet marriage and two grown children who just married within the last year and a half.
Ken and Jeanette came for the funeral and spent election night with us. We cheered the election of Barack Obama and we cried at the significance of the moment. My favorite moment from that night was after Obama's speech and they had waved to the crowd and their children were already backstage...Michelle stood and watched her husband for a moment while he took in the crowd. What was going through her head? That was a precious moment.
Funeral was Wednesday. Very hard.
Now I will attempt to explain the real difficulty of the week.
Are there really still people in this country who think that white people are superior to black people? Do we really think that it is okay to be prejudiced? Is that Christian? I am so tired of hearing the bellyaching that is coming from ignorance. I know that I live in Texas but Texas doesn't get to elect the president. The whole country does.
From the time that I was a very little girl...around 3 years old...I felt called to equality. I knew that people are all the same. We only have different hued skin. I am not really white but kind of tan. My African American friends are not black and some of them are also kind of tan.
All the negative racial stuff in the air is making me crazy. I am afraid that I might snap at someone if I hear anymore. I am tired of ignorance. I want a new era of understanding. A place of peace. A time for coming together.

In My Dreams

2008-11-03T17:25:00.000-08:00

This song has been on my heart for a few months now and when you read the words you will know why. We always wish that our children will find someone to spend their lives with. Someone who will love them and take care of them and appreciate their gifts and try to ignore their faults. I believe that Corey has found that someone and I love her.

In My Dreams
by Debi Smith

In my dreams you're seventeen
and you have curly auburn hair
and when you hold me
your arms are sure
as your skin is young and fair
and when you kiss me
it thrills me
like a flash of lightning in the blue
and I know then
what I know now
how much I love you

But when I open up my eyes
and I see you in the dusk
there's silver in your hair
and your skin is not so lush
and I thank God for those brown eyes
and the times they've seen me through
because I know then
what I know now
how much I love you

In my dreams, son,
you're two years old
and I hold you on my lap
I feel your hair against my cheek
as your head nods off to nap
your finger curl around my hand
and you're breathing sweet and new
and I know then
what I know now
how much I love you

But when I open up my eyes
and see you sitting there
I can't hold you in my lap
or toss you in the air
and those tiny hands
are now a man's
and I hope at fifty two
some sweet woman will love you, dear,
like I love your dad and you
some sweet woman will love you, dear,
like I love your dad and you

The Very Best Man For Me

2008-10-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

Today is a wonderful man's birthday. He is a huge reason that this wedding weekend was as wonderful as it was. He is a great dad and for that reason we have great children and an amazing granddaughter. He loves all of us unconditionally. He would gladly sacrifice his own comfort if it would make us comfortable. Our children were always completely comfortable and completely themselves with their dad because they knew that he was the safe place. Ava already knows that. She's a smart girl, don't you think?

Big Life Event

2008-10-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

"Do I Make You Proud"

[Verse One:]
I've never been
The one to raise my hand
That was not me
And now that's who I am
Because of you
I am standing tall
My heart is full
Of endless gratitude
You were the one
The one to guide me through
Now I can see
And I believe
It's only just beginning

[Chorus:]
This is what we dream about
But the only question with me now
Is do I make you proud
Stronger than I've ever been now
Never been afraid of standing out
Do I make you proud

[Verse Two:]
I guess I’ve learned
To question is to grow,
That you still have faith,
Is all I need to know,
I’ve learned to love,
Myself in spite of me,
And I’ve learned to
Walk on the road I believe.

Everybody needs to rise up
Everybody needs to be loved
To be loved
Everybody need to rise on
Everybody needs to be loved, to be loved

This is what we dream about
But the only question with me now
Is do I make you, do I make you proud
This is what we dream about
Never been afraid of standing out
Do I make you proud
Stronger than I've ever been
Never been afraid of standing out

Do I make you proud
Do I make you proud

This is the song that Corey chose for our mother/son dance at his wedding and Corey, all that I can say to you is- Yes, Yes and Yes!
I am proud of your sweet heart, proud of your love for your amazing Brittney, proud of your love for precious Ava, proud of your hard work at your job, proud of your willingness to still seek Jesus, proud of the way that you have surrounded yourself with loyal friends, proud of your independent spirit, proud of your kindness, proud of your friendship with Bob and Laurie,
I loved watching the sparkle in your eyes the night you got married, hearing you laugh, seeing you hold back the tears (sorry, you got the sentimental gene from me), and being able to experience the seriousness of your commitment with you that night.
The night was beautiful. Brittney was gorgeous. Ava was entertaining. And everyone had a great time!

Lectureship or Summit

2008-09-25T18:05:00.000-07:00

This past week at ACU has been Summit...the new name for Lectureship at ACU. Yes, I loved hearing Leroy Garrett and having Larry Mudd tell me stories. Those were good but mostly I loved catching up with old friends and some new ones.
Larry and Cynthia Wilson Mudd and her two precious children, Jacob and Lydia
Joe and Annette Hale
Tom Norvell
Jean-Noel's parents

And I met a new friend. The mom of a girl that I looked up to in college. I wanted to be like her. Tracy Huebner. Bobbie, so good to talk with you...you felt like an old friend.

This is why!

2008-09-16T07:46:00.001-07:00

This is why I am voting for Sen. Barak Obama. I believe that he is looking for God's eyes. This election isn't about the far right...although many think that it is...it is about the kingdom of God.......Your kingdom come on earth as it is heaven. For that to happen we have to stop thinking about me, me, me and my money and my children and my quality of life and start thinking about the greater good. Isn't that what God is all about? I want someone to lead our country who can see past the patriotism and that stupid lie that we are the best and lead from a place of compassion and globalism. We are not truly free until we are all free.
Put down your star spangled banner and look some people in the eye...people who are different from you.

yay

2008-09-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

yay! no cancer! the tumor was benign and now i just have to heal.

2008-09-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

hand surgery. not much blogging for awhile.

The Weepies

2008-08-30T19:16:00.000-07:00

This is who has been speaking to my heart lately.

Trying to Think Positive

2008-08-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

Sue's blog made me feel guilty....so, I am going to try to find 5 positive things to say.
1. I didn't spill my lunch on myself today.

2. I have an indoor bathroom and my toilet flushes.

3. It has been raining in Abilene.

4. I can go to bed in about 3 and a half hours.

Okay, I couldn't up with number 5. I am usually an optomist but life is weighing me down. I will try again tomorrow.

Isn't She Beautiful?

2008-08-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted Ava pictures for a long time but I thought I would for those of you who don't have facebook.
These pictures were taken in June at my mom's house. I wish that I could see her right now.

sacred harp music

2008-08-09T11:02:00.001-07:00

This is part of my history. We know the parts of history that are aristocratic or concerning the people in power. This is a part of the history of the common man. I love it and I love the intensity in which they sing.

I Live an "I Love Lucy" Life

2008-08-04T17:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, I do love my Lucy but that is not what I mean.
What I mean is my life is sometimes very similar to Lucy's on the "I Love Lucy Show". Life is never boring but can be embarrassing.
One example.
Friday morning I was leaving for work. Dressed in a skirt. I walked out to my car and saw that my next door neighbor was watering his grass. He had been gone for about a month so I stopped and talked to him. I got to my car and my neighbor is still watering his grass and I got in...but while I was getting in my car, I dropped my key. I dropped down headfirst to pick it up...both hands on the ground and still sitting in my car. Remember I am still wearing a skirt. Now I have both hands on the ground and suddenly realize that it will be very difficult to get back into my car and pick up the key. I pick up the key and toss it gently into the pocket on the side of the door. Now I try to push myself back up...not going to happen. I am thinking about how crazy this all must look but I can't roll out of the car to correct the situation without exposing myself to my neighbor. Eventually I am able to push myself back up to the upright position...so funny and I laughed my way to work. Not really sure what the neighbor saw...

Another Wedding

2008-08-02T17:04:00.000-07:00

Today another wedding took place. We didn't get to go but it took place in Chattanooga. Grant Norvell got married. I love Grant. Grant has made me laugh, made me think, comforted me, talked me to a different place and made me feel welcome. I love Grant. Grant has had crazy hair some of the time that I have known him. He can entertain a crowd of children or a crowd of adults. He reads alot. He is passionate about life. His laugh is contagious.
Grant married Bethany tonight. I don't know Bethany but I know she must be amazing to be marrying Grant. I can't wait to meet her one day.
I wish Grant and Bethany many adventures, tolerance for each other and those around them, growth together, deeper relationships with the creator, children to make them more of a family and to give them new adventures, conversation filled with the Spirit, more reading, comfort from each others' presence, and a place in the Kingdom story.

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

2008-07-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

I think that tonight I will eat my favorite ice cream....one of my favorites....either Blue Bell Pralines and Cream or Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia...I will eat as much as I want....I deserve it.
I can't take anymore disappointments or goodbyes.
Today was Dr. Rector's last day at work at ACU. I am going to miss him. Our working relationship was great and he had also become a good friend. He is compassionate, knowledgeable, full of the Spirit, a great listener, a good laugher, and patient. The students received excellent care from him. These will be big shoes to fill. He left this afternoon and I sat at my desk for about a half an hour crying...just couldn't pull it back together. Then later, I was taking care of a patient and several men came to move his desk out, my husband came by to pick up the key and two men came to fix a door...I wasn't sure which door and they seemed a little upset that I didn't know....I gave suggestions but they didn't like that either. After they all left I was felt so alone.
We had a candidate for Dr. Rector's job but he declined our offer and that made me sad also.
I am grieving one doctor leaving and another one not coming.
I think that I deserve ice cream.

Signs from Oklahoma

2008-07-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

Two unusual roadside signs in Oklahoma:

Do not drive into smoke.

Hitchhikers may be escaped inmates.

WW II Novels

2008-07-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

I had been searching for a book for a couple of months and had been unable to find it. I finally found a used copy and bought it. About the fourth sentence into the book I realized that I had already read it. I did read it again and it is still thought provoking and powerful. Pixie told me to read it a long time ago and I guess that I did but then everyone starting telling me to read it again and I couldn't remember that I did....so now I own it and I have read it twice. The book is The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. The movie will be released in December. Yay!
I finished it and immediately started a book titled Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum. I am almost done with it and it is enthralling. Both books deal with the German side of the war and the horror of it and human side of the Germans and what they did to survive. I need my book club back so that we can talk about them.
A quote from Those Who Save Us: Who among us is not stained by the past?
You have to read the book to know who says this and why. That is a surprising moment in the story.
Are any of you old book clubbers out there?

Something Light

2008-07-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

Just something light to bring me back to blogland.
I have this crazy thing about pajamas. I love them. I have too many of them but I can't help it. I bought a new nightgown tonight. I love crazy prints and bright colors on them. The nightgown that I found tonight is so cute. Tim tried to make a deal with me about the nightgown. He wanted me to trade a pair in my drawer or agree to put some in my closet. I love them all smashed in the same drawer and I love wearing them....fresh and new and smelling wonderful and old and frayed but still smelling wonderful. I have garden gnome pajamas, pink flamingo pajamas, a cherry nightgown......the list is long...but tonight I bought an owl sleepshirt. So cute!!!

more of a list

2008-06-28T06:14:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I listed things that I had done and today I will do the same...this is since the last list.

I did paint the living room and dining room...they look good.
cleaned the whole house
framed some pictures
boot camp
yoga
bought a new dress
added more boot camp and yoga classes to my week
worked Passport at ACU
interviewed an old friend for our open doctor's position
sang on the Praise Team
mourned the loss of a friend's dog
talked with Corey about wedding plans several times
threw a wedding shower at my house
attended a rehearsal and a rehearsal dinner
tonight is the wedding

still processing my dad's death.

Sad

2008-06-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

Today my dad died. Don't know where that puts me...still processing.

The Bike Came!!

2008-06-04T19:50:00.001-07:00

Mary Kate's birthday present from beachbikes.net. We waited for weeks because they didn't have it in stock. Isn't it cute? Now all she needs is a basket to carry her stuff in it.

Did You Think I Was Gone Forever?

2008-06-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

I have been uninspired to blog.
I have done many things since May 17th and my last post:
hosted small group a few times
went to a lingerie shower
lost a cat for a few days....well, not really lost, just in hiding
laundry
prepared for a site visit from the State of Texas
heard my boss tell me that he was resigning
possibility of an old friend being my new boss
bought paint to paint living room and dining room
bought other supplies to paint
have not painted yet
rode to San Antonio with Drew W., Kim and Mary Kate
spent a Friday night and Saturday with Kim, Steve, Elizabeth and Cookie
attended Audrey's wedding
sang on the Praise team
cooked a few meals....not too many but a few
cleaned house a few times
bought new shoes
attended a party for my boot camp instructors
found an old friend and caught up on her life
vented to a safe friend
blessed some amazing 6th grade girls as they move on to be 7th graders

The Book of Lost Things

2008-05-17T08:57:00.001-07:00

Last week I finished this book. It is different from almost anything else I have ever read....probably closest to Harry Potter but not the same either. This book incorporates fairy tales but the tales are told in ways that I had never heard them told. It is fascinating and captivating and I love how it doesn't end happily ever after. The little boy, David who is the main character, grows up and learns about what is important while walking through the fairy tale land.
Also, if any of you are interested in careers as a writer, go to John Connolly's website and read his practical advice. He is straightforward and very informative.
Happy reading!

Atonement

2008-05-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Tonight we watched Atonement. I read the book recently and really wanted to see the movie. The movie doesn't tell the whole story but it definitely has the same feel as the book. The movie does stick extremely close to the book and I love that. A beautiful movie...music, sequence, colors and minimal dialogue...love it!
I love the title of this book. Life can go terribly wrong by one wrong move....by yourself or someone else. Sometimes there is no way to acquire or purchase atonement. Sometimes life just keeps going terribly wrong but it can still be beautiful and there can still be laughter in the process.
I would most definitely say to read the book and then see the movie. Always read the book first. That is a Julie rule. Whenever I have broken my own rule, I have regretted it.

Okay, I Haven't Blogged for a Few Weeks

2008-05-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since I last blogged....
It has been hard to blog. I have been busy but I also wasn't sure what I wanted to share and what I didn't.
I did go home with Lucy for about 4 days. Not long enough. I was able to spend time with my mom and dad. My dad is dying. He is on hospice care and I am not sure that he ever recognized me...but it was still good to see him. I am sure that that was the last time I would see him alive. My dad was not a great dad in many ways....he drank too much, he was verbally and physically abusive, he treated my mom terribly and he didn't seem to enjoy the company of his own family very often. But my dad did provide some good things for our family...he always worked hard, we always had a nice house and food, he had a very nice singing voice and when he was in a good mood there was twinkle to his eye and he could be very fun. That kind of personality can be very confusing to a child but as an adult you can see it all much more clearly. My dad did the best he could with what he had....his own upbringing got his way and his feelings of inadequacy many times kept him from being his best self. Aren't we all that way in some ways?
My mom is tired but still continuing to care for my dad. I admit that I looking forward to a freer time with my mom. Time to go to lunch, shop, swim at the beach and just hang out with her and my family. Those things haven't happened for a very long time. It was good to just be in the same house with her again.
My brothers and their families came over for dinner and it was fun to catch. My little brother's grandson, Christopher, is adorable and sweet. I can tell that Danny loves him. That is so good to see.
My mom's neighborhood has changed so much since I grew up there. It is like a little UN. You can find someone from just about every nation in the world in her neighborhood. That makes it very colorful. I love that about it but it does make it feel less like home. Most of the old neighbors are either dead or have moved. That is weird. I even saw women in full burkas. I wanted so badly to strike up a conversation but I wasn't even sure where to start.
I got to see some Bowie friends while I was there also...
Mickey's lacrosse game in the rain made me feel right at home in Maryland. All of Ann's kids have grown up so much and it felt so good to be with them. Sofie's reaction to seeing Lucy at Bowie High was worth the whole trip. Lucy said that she would like to be greeted like that every time she enters a room. The adults at the Bowie Church of Christ used to say that we they were little and would greet each other as they got to church...but they had probably seen each other the night before but were still so thrilled to see each other again.
Laurel and Gary had some friends over for dinner so I could see them all in one place. Thanks to both of you. Gary, I loved our kitchen conversation. It is so good to share our loads...somehow they seem lighter then.
Ann and I had so little time together and an even shorter time alone. We stayed up almost all night to try to catch up. It was worth it but definitely didn't feel long enough. Thanks for staying up with me and then getting up in an hour to take us to the airport.
It was good to meet Mark because he means so much to Ann. A nice guy. I know that I need more time to get to know him. I can tell that Ann's kids love him and that speaks volumes to me.

Tomorrow we go to pick up Mary Kate. Yay!!
I know that it will be hard for her to leave Oxford. I can only equate it to my summers working at camp as a teenager. We had formed such deep community and we knew that it would never be the same and it was hard to leave. I know that she is feeling some of that.
I love these two pictures of her during her last days there.
The one with the whole group of girls is a shot of all the girls who lived in the basement of house 9 for the semester. Can't wait to hear all their stories.

Tomorrow

2008-04-23T20:36:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I leave for Maryland and Virginia. I get to see my mom and my friends. Yay! I will tell you all about it when I get back.

Mary Kate is Still Having Fun

2008-04-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

I love this photo. I love that she looks like Elliot from ET but really she is getting ready for a night bike ride in Paris.
I love that she is having a great time but we are missing her.

Ken and Jeanette are Grandparents

2008-04-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

I love my husband's brother and his wife, Jeanette. Ken and Jeanette feel like siblings to me. They are loving and supportive and they have shared their girls with us. I love their girls. Each girl is unique and yet wonderful. I have loved them all and will continue to love them as they and we journey through this crazy life. I know that they will have difficult times but I hope that they know that Aunt Julie is always here for them.
Last week on April 1st a new Danley girl was born....Eliana Grace to Brady and Katherine Lane. I am so excited for them and the birth of Eliana brought with it a surge of emotion.
I love that our families are so connected. I love that we can share these huge milestones and I love that we can share our pain.
I am so glad to be a part of this family.

Oh...I borrowed these amazing shots from Brady...who will from now on be known as Eliana's dad.

I Can't Seem to Get Away From these Random Ones

2008-03-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say that I haven't had time to blog but really I have been uninspired. I write about things that move me or are exciting and not much of that has been happening lately....although when I think about the last week I can think of several moments that fit the bill.
John was here during Spring Break and it felt like we had never been apart. He is still a great storyteller and even had me going when he called at work and pretended to be an older student who was just a little weird and had a pet spider that had gotten loose and possibly was in his ear. I didn't immediately think that it was John but was still having a hard time not laughing and starting to worry about my safety...I was in the office alone that day. John looks great and seems happy and we shouldn't go so long next time before seeing each other. There was also the Tim and Al routine from Home Improvement that Tim and John did while hanging some things on the walls for me and Lucy.
My 6th grade girls did some guerilla artwork that was awesome! Scriptures on the sidewalks with chalk and post it notes all over the church building. I loved it and I loved their enthusiasm.
Mary Kate has now been to Italy and Scotland. An ATM ate her debit card in Rome but I think that we have that all remedied at the moment. I will let her tell her crazy connection story from Scotland. Small world.
Today was beautiful! I wish that I had been outside more.

New Book (to me)

2008-03-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

I am reading a book by bell hooks called Where We Stand: class matters. Powerful. Everyone should read it. She is moving me to life changes. She opens my eyes to greed and needless consumption. She puts her finger on so many problems that most are not willing or able to acknowledge. Read it and get back to me.
By the way, have any of you read The Shack since I blogged about it? I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

Today is Easter. He is risen!

Snippets

2008-03-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

Tim is mowing the front yard right now...mostly to get all the leaves that our gigantic trees shed constantly. Not that I would ever complain about having trees when I live in West Texas.
Lucy is at the movies watching Horton Hears A Who. She met some friends there.
We have beautiful weather...sun, warm breeze, blue sky. I am loving it.

John is coming to visit on Tuesday. yay!

You know that I have been working out for 6 months now. Boot camp with swiss ball, yoga, pilates, and tai chi thrown in at the end....I love it. I made a deal with myself that I would workout for 6 months and then add to that healthy eating. Well, last Monday started my 6 months of healthy eating. I need to figure out what the next 6 months holds. I have not been perfect this week with my healthy eating but I would say tremendously better than the week before so that is progress. These are things that I ate that are not healthy: several chips that came with a pretty healthy burrito, bacon on a sandwich, a tiny supposedly healthy frozen yogurt, one cookie, some m&ms. Tomorrow starts week two and I feel pretty good about it...mostly I have eaten: lots of fruit, some hardboiled eggs, chicken, vegetables, yogurt, nuts, turkey sandwiches on swirled rye and pumpernickel, a little pasta with sauce...you get the picture. I think that already I feel better and more alert but we will see how it goes. I am committed to 6 months. That doesn't mean that there won't be some times when I do eat things that aren't perfectly healthy but I want 95% of what I eat to be nutritionally sound. I told one of the students in the clinic what I was doing and he said he would keep checking up with me to keep me honest. Good to be held accountable.

I am still sick. I have been sick since the middle of January. I am getting better right now because I am taking big antibiotics for an extended period. Hopefully this will kick it out of my system but I do have an appointment with an ENT in April....just didn't think that I could wait til April to feel better...what do you think?

Mary Kate is still having a good time. She has just been to Ireland and soon goes to Italy. I will share more pictures soon.

Again, My Mom

2008-03-08T08:18:00.000-08:00

My mom celebrated 74 years on March 4th. So today I will celebrate her with a word to describe her from every letter of her name.

Irresistible
Radiant
Indescribable
Strong

Delightful
Energetic
Adorable
Neighborly

Survivor
Tenacious
Original
Nurse
Effervescent

I challenge those of you who know her to do the same thing...you could do grandma or Aunt Dean or Mom or if you knew her with her maiden name you could do Iris Dean Bailey.
I love her.

The Primaries

2008-03-04T20:23:00.000-08:00

I live in Texas and today I voted. I got my sticker and I could've caucused tonight. I should have but I went to exercise class. There seemed to be hundreds of people caucusing at my precinct when I came back by on my way home. Exciting! I love that people are involved in this process. This is one of the best things about living in this country. We are a democratic society. The person that we wanted to win may not always win but the transfer of power is peaceful and usually pretty smooth. We try to respect each other. I know that I have not been a Bush supporter but he is a man just as we are all people and has the right do things in the way that he sees fit.
I am going to put myself out there. I voted for Hillary for several reasons....she is smart, she is experienced, we have already watched her walk through the fire and she did it with grace and dignity, her answers are specific, she has a plan that makes sense, and she is a woman.
I know, maybe that shouldn't matter....but to me it does. As a country we need to break the pattern of women always being last....the last to have complete rights, the last to vote...this would break that terrible pattern.
I don't have a problem with Barak Obama but he hasn't impressed me with specifics. He doesn't seem to have a plan. I don't really know where his heart is. I think that I can see a little more where Hillary's heart is...health care, children, women, education. Wow, a president that cares about the things I care about....that would be amazing. I think that she is compassionate.
Okay, I put myself out there. I know that many of you probably vote opposing me and my vote but that is the beauty of it...we can.
I love that the polling centers are usually run by older citizens. They are conscientious, courteous and they always seem like they are having a good time. So much of the world voting is scary but for us it can be a social event. I love that.

More Fun for Mary Kate

2008-02-25T16:20:00.000-08:00

Mary Kate spent a few days in Spain. Doesn't this picture make you want to join her?

I Love Lucy

2008-02-24T16:42:00.001-08:00

Lucy is the one on the left with the big sunglasses. She is amazing. Today she is 15 years old. She is full of life, quick to talk, quick to laugh, has many opinions and isn't always sure that your opinion should be different from hers. She loves politics, writing, her friends, Jesus, West Wing, music but especially music with a message. She loves her family, her cat, little kids, huddle, soccer, journalism and Maryland. She is usually very low maintenance...does her homework, gets her stuff together on her own, keeps up with her schedule, and gets her own dinner when no one is home.
I love Lucy in more ways than I can put into words.

My Mom-Isn't She Adorable?

2008-02-23T18:15:00.001-08:00

My mom is the second woman from the right. Isn't she adorable? She is still adorable. If you don't know her, I wish that you did because you are missing out if you don't. She has not had an easy life but she has always been encouraging, affectionate, warm and almost always cheerful. She is a survivor but she is also beautiful. I have thought that since I was a little girl. I would watch her getting ready for church and think that my mom was the most beautiful mom ever. I can picture her face smiling at me and the elegant way that she used her hands...hands that were always busy.
Like I said, if you don't know her, you are missing out.
This picture is taken in the early 1950s and she is on a trip with her friends. She has always told me that girlfriends are important and she has played that out in her own life...she was a great example for me. The woman who is second to the left is her younger sister, Millie. They were very close and shared many girlfriends. What fun it is to sit down with my mom and my Aunt Millie and listen to them tell stories and laugh and laugh and laugh. Wish that you could hear them. Wish that I could hear them now.

Catching Up

2008-02-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

Just a catch up post.

Valentine's Day was fun. My husband knows me well. He gave me a pink rosebush I can plant in the yard and a pint of Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream. Both are perfect gifts for me. We were already stocked with Diet Coke but he knows if that supply were low, he could just buy me a giant Diet Coke with lots of ice and I would happy. I really am easy to please.

These are all random thoughts...so don't try to make them connect...they really don't.

I love watching all the students in the morning heading to class. Some are walking....alone or with a friend...backpacks, hats, gloves, sometimes wet hair, sometimes on the phone. Some are riding their bikes...ears covered in the cold, baskets filled with books, and sometimes on the phone. Some are on skateboards...usually less clothes, and still sometimes on the phone. Some are driving....some in old and beat up cars, some in shiny bmws. I also love when I am late and they are going to be late to class also and they are running and looking exasperated. I love the urgency in their movement. I like the smell of breakfast coming from the Bean and the sun coming over the horizon. A new day is beginning.

We have ice everywhere this morning. Trees are covered and making dramatic icicles. So pretty.

I should clean my house but I don't know if I will. I should go to the mall but I don't know if I will. I should make chili and I think that I will. I should do laundry and I probably will or else I won't have any clothes to wear next week.

Tonight I will be working Sing Song. I love seeing Sing Song. So much energy. And I love seeing who wins on Saturday night.

Ann, I will call sometime soon and we will have a real conversation again. Mom, glad we got to catch up last night.

Thanks to all of you for hanging in there while life has been crazy. The clinic is still busy but not as crazy busy as it has been.

I'm Not Really Back

2008-02-07T19:36:00.001-08:00

This is my life lately:
work, boot camp, sleep, to work early, at work late, fall asleep on the couch, work, sleep, work, laundry, sleep, work, boot camp, sleep, work, sleep in, laundry, grocery store, sleep, church, 6th grade girls, small group, sleep, work....
Okay, you get the picture.
Not much time to blog or anything else.
Right now I don't have a life.
Can I borrow yours?
Have you done anything fun lately?
Let me live through you...since my life is so treadmillish.

But I am reading a good book right now that I would challenge all of you to read and then let me know what you think. It is called "The Shack" by William Young. A novel by a theologian. Has been labeled the Pilgrim's Progress for this generation.
Read and let me know.

2008-02-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

I Promise

2008-01-23T19:26:00.000-08:00

I do promise that after this I will blog about something besides Oxford. I have been very sick for 5 days....so, no new news from me. I love these two pictures of Mary Kate and her friends. She has been asking me to come visit while she is there. I would love to but I don't think that I can afford it. Do any of you know any cheap ways to travel? Keep in mind that I don't have time to take a cargo boat across the pond and I do get seasick. I have always wanted to see that part of the world but right now it seems improbable.

Some Clarification

2008-01-20T17:26:00.000-08:00

Just for those of you that were confused about the last picture that I posted....that picture was not in Oxford but in Austin during the summer and Katie and Mary Kate were excited about seeing some musician. I didn't get an excited about Oxford picture. Now these two pictures are really Mary Kate in Oxford.

Oxford

2008-01-17T19:56:00.000-08:00

My Mary Kate is in Oxford, England now. I am so excited for her. I wish that I could've packed myself in her suitcase. Not because I don't trust her or that I want to get in her way...I just want to go to Europe...I would also like to take her C.S. Lewis class in Oxford. She is going to have a blast and learn so much....about herself and life outside our little world. I love it!
This picture is of Mary Kate and her friend, Katie, who is her roommate in Oxford.

See the Beauty

2008-01-14T20:34:00.000-08:00

These are some scenes from my week in Colorado taken by a student. The people in the picture are also students. I could've stayed longer.

Kindness of Strangers Feels Like a Fable

2008-01-10T20:11:00.000-08:00

I just got back last night from Buena Vista, Colorado. It was breathtakingly beautiful and snowed and snowed and snowed. I will tell more about it later and put up pictures.
Right now I want to tell you about the kindness of strangers...

We started off the trip climbing the very steep mountain in a 12 passenger van with chains on the tires. Driving slowly we made it out of camp and onto the highway, which was also packed with snow. Took the chains off and started on our way. We stopped about 40 miles away from the airport in Colorado Springs to eat breakfast at a McDonald's. Back in the van and to the airport. We were checking in with the ticket counter and I looked into my big bag that I always use when I travel and I started saying, "Oh no!" over and over again. Tim Johnston was in line behind me and kept asking what was wrong but I was so distressed that I couldn't even tell him at first. I had left my purse at the McDonald's 40 miles away. Tim immediately said, "Use my phone and call the McDonald's." I did and an employee answered and said that she had found my purse and was trying to get ahold of me somehow. I was glad that my purse was safe with her but then instantly thought...what good does that do me? I can't go back for it. Nigel, my new friend from Wales, was standing beside me and suggested that I have them put it in a cab and drive it to me. Brilliant! I asked if it was possible to send it in a cab. "Well" the girl said, "the cab driver is standing right next to me. Can I hand him the phone?" Yay for small town Colorado! The cabby seemed old and cranky but genuinely wanted to help. He phoned his boss, who called me back and said that he was on his way. In the meantime they had let me check my luggage and receive a boarding pass but I would have to undergo a full search at security because I didn't have ID with me. This all started at 10:15 and our flight was to leave at 11:20. My purse was 40 miles away. I didn't want to hold up our party of 8, so I told them to go on through security and I would wait. If I got on that flight...great! If I didn't....I would take the next flight. The cabbie pulled up and while I was paying him the ticket agent came out and gave me a new boarding pass....no full search! Then he asked me to follow him. He took me through the flight crew security line. I was in my sock feet and holding snow boots and other stuff running down the terminal to my gate. The crew member at my gate stepped out and yelled to me....Are you Mrs. Danley? I said yes and she said...come on! They had held the flight for me because Rick had told them that I was trying to make the flight. I think that it was only a few minutes but still, so nice!!! My little group cheered when I boarded the plane in my sock feet and waving my stuff all around me.
The kindness of strangers is not a fable.

Recap of the Year and a Quote to Start Out

2008-01-01T08:38:00.000-08:00

Good to start off the year with a significant quote and this comes from the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr....
"Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant."

Now to the recap....copied this idea from several friends' blogs...so, here it goes.....

January-
I believe that I have collected my own living prayers and trophies.
Tonight we celebrated Teresa's birthday with her and her friends.
The first woman Speaker of the House.
Sacred spaces like....a conversation with a friend, birth, death, dinner, worship, the living room, our bedrooms, our cars, the grocery store...I know, I know, you are thinking that not all of those places are sacred but I beg to differ.
Ava
The book of love has music in it In fact that's where music comes from
Barak Obama
I now have a new job
I am loving getting email from my mom.
The girl that I have hidden can be very silly
Okay, today I could receive the bad mother award. I forgot Lucy's orthodontist appointment

February-
Sorry that it has been so long since I have posted anything. Life has been busy and transition can be taxing. Sorry. Sorry.
Everyone needs to watch Oprah on Friday.
Don't let anyone ever tell you that helping one person will never make a difference. Just do it.
Maybe tears fill us back up after we feel the emptiness of loss.
P..Positives, Paige, Peggy, Pixie
Okay, my daughter already reminded me of one person that I forgot to say that I love and I did see one glaring omission...Brady Lane.
What I wish for Ann for the next year...
Last night was Jeremiah's night.
You are the fourth child in a very busy family.
Fourteen years ago today a little girl came into our lives by scheduled caesarean section at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

March-
If any of you locate my head, will you inform me of it's location?
She was the one we depended on when we were children.
We have just finished a class with Lucy at church.
Pix, thanks for talking to me on the bridge.
Lucy left last Tuesday morning for Washington, D.C. with a huge group of 8th grade students from Abilene.
Yesterday marked the one year anniversary for this blog.
Having Lucy and Tim lead us to the table was such a sweet moment for me.

April-
I have been haunted by the losses that come from war lately.
Reign Over Me.
Just wish that I could get my hands on her.
Tim's Uncle Claud passed away this week.
Love...the bottom line.
My friend, Ann, came Thursday night and stayed through Sunday afternoon.
That someday we'll be called up to gather around the suppertable up there

May-
They are precious to us and we felt honored to witness those private moments.
She is nineteen years old today and I adore the young woman that she has become...strong, bright, elegant and still devastatingly beautiful.
My mom has many talents but one of my favorites is her green thumb...tomatoes, flowers, green peppers, eggplant, cumcumbers...
Joy is the best makeup. Joy, and good lighting.
I look out and see baby bluejays that are being fed by their mama and they are fussing through it all...isn't that just like a bluejay.
Jeremiah, would you like to catsit?
1. I cry often.
Stephen Bailey's nephew Connor Brown (in high school) was killed yesterday in a car accident and his niece Bailey Brown was seriously injured.

June-
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy
jen lemen
Psalm 23...You've never seen it so cute
I have been reading a book titled Jane Goodall since December.
My blog is rated G and was based on the fact that my blog only said poop one time.
Last night was a perfect summer evening.

July-
We are now in Dumas, Texas on our way to Idaho.
A little advice for that kind of traveling.....DON'T drink a whole bottle of water before driving through this desolate part of the world.
Wyoming was my favorite.
Ava is in love with her grandpa.
So sad to say goodbye to Drew again.
Talking and crying with Jeanette while we watched our kids together and mingling with others....thinking about how they are growing up and how much we have loved being their parents.
We may have a little delay tomorrow morning.
I think that today I saw some of the most beautiful country that I have ever seen...mountains, rushing rivers, flowers, waterfalls, deep canyons, buffalo, elk, deer, a coyote, osprey, an eagle and its nest, sun coming through clouds, beaver, mountains and mountains and more mountains...I loved it all.
We are home!
Again, artwork from Jen Lemen...she is one of my favorites.
One of my favorite things about summer in Abilene is The Abilene Shakespeare Festival.
The themes of this story are the themes of the gospel story.....truth, freedom, salvation, forgiveness and reconciliation but probably my favorite theme from this story is courage.
New Ava Pictures and Mary Kate in a Tipi
more photos of their engagement and one of their official engagement pictures taken by Debbie Riggs
..and to let you see the other side of Lera...she can be elegant but she is really down to earth and always fun.
Tim and I are trying to paint Mary Kate's room and clean up the rest of the house. It was all out of control.
After shopping we met Tracy and her kids and her parents, Billy and Maxie, for dinner in Weatherford.

August-
You know that we would prefer to be standing in the waters of baptism with you.
I have been pondering attractiveness.
Last night I had the strangest dream
I'd never dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war.
Mary Kate and I still have film cameras and so there is a delay between taking pictures and being able to post them.
Last week my mom sent me tomatoes from her garden.
We were called yesterday and last night and told that we needed to be prepared to evacuate if the creeks near us came over their banks.
School has started for all of us and all on the same day.

September-
This is the song that Ken, my brother-in-law, sang at Lera and A.J.'s reception.
Have you ever wandered lonely through the woods?
Tonight was my first exercise class.
My body was still so sore that I couldn't even walk normally.
When Drew was two years old he would sing this song with me.
Saturday night Ken, Jeanette, Stacie and Darek arrived.

October-
Life is hard.
I was in a deep funk when I came home from work this afternoon.
Stacie is so precious to me and I love that she captured something else so precious to me in her photos.
I love being outside in all kinds of weather and I can feel it transforming my body.
They showed this at Zoe. I couldn't stop crying.
I am an orphan on God's highway
But I'll share my troubles if you go my way
We are related and so we share an ancestor, Mordecai McKinney Cox.
a very large basket filled with amazing fruit and flowers from Ann for my birthday
Mary Kate came by my office and told me that I had forgotten a few items and I should add those to my list.

November-
Today I will be teaching at the West Texas Girls Conference.
I really don't know much about his political stance but I do know that he needs a good moisturizer.
This past weekend we had two very special guests at our house....Tammy Selby and Debbie Tunick.
The singer is Ruthie Foster.
Mary Kate is no longer on the waiting list but on the list to go to Oxford, England on ACU's Study Abroad program.
When I finish making sweet potato casserole and chocolate chip cake, we are leaving for Amarillo to spend Thanksgiving with Ken, Jeanette, Stacie, Darek, Lera, A.J., Janaye and my family.
Amarillo was so fun.
Ava talked with me the other night on the phone.

December-
Really, I would prefer if you dance with me...don't put carrots out.
We start on our search but the trees are all so very different from any trees that we have ever seen used for Christmas...some of them were even blue...I mean really blue...they were called Arizona cypress.
Today I had lunch with two friends.
Speak Over Yourself, Encourage Yourself
I think that I am going to go to the thrift store with my friends and pick out silly matching outfits and sing a feel-good song and laugh and play the recorder....want to join me?
I have been reading in every little bit of spare time that I can find lately.

Books, Books, Books

2007-12-31T09:03:00.001-08:00

I have been reading in every little bit of spare time that I can find lately. I have been avoiding doing any housework or anything else that seems like work....and I have been reading. I have read three books over this break.
This first one A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voigt. I had read Homecoming and Dicey's Song and it was really good to get to know Jeff who had shown up before. I love in this book how Jeff's dad hangs in there with him and learns to become a better dad in the whole process.

This next book Children of Men by P.D. James was not a peaceful book at all. Kind of Lois Lowry gone awry with a dose of 1984 and A Brave New World thrown in for good measure. This book will frighten you and also make you examine your faith.

The last book that I have read was A Thousand Splendid Suns. I loved The Kite Runner but this book was even better in so many ways. Maybe because it is about women and the other is about two boys....I don't know, just felt more pulled in by it.
What have you been reading lately?

I Just Need Fun and Good Feeling Things Right Now, so....Here It Is

2007-12-21T17:10:00.000-08:00

I think that I am going to go to the thrift store with my friends and pick out silly matching outfits and sing a feel-good song and laugh and play the recorder....want to join me?

Speak Over Yourself, Encourage Yourself

2007-12-19T19:56:00.000-08:00

I found this video on Larry James' blog from Central Dallas Ministries. I fell in love with this little girl but I mostly hope that her words touch you....listen carefully....this is my Christmas wish to all of you.

Everything?

2007-12-12T20:32:00.001-08:00

Today I had lunch with two friends. I love these two women. They cause me to think and they also make me laugh. We used to meet as a spiritual formation group but we are so busy that it has become too difficult to find a time that we are all consistently available. So, today we had lunch.
Jackie and Joyce were already at the table and had started eating....we were at Subway. I went and ordered my food and then when it came time to pay, I didn't have my debit card with me. I had left it in my sweat jacket from boot camp class the night before. Long story about why it was in my pocket...nothing interesting...just long. So, I had to go to the table where they were sitting and ask if they could bail me out. Jackie said, "I will give you everything I have."
I went and paid and had money leftover and I said,"Everything you have is more than I need."

Real Christmas Tree

2007-12-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

Today we went to cut our Christmas tree at a tree farm near Cottonwood, Texas. We drove and drove and drove and drove and then we were in Cross Plains. We weren't supposed to be in Cross Plains. We were supposed to turn before we got there but we must've missed the turn. We stopped at a convenience store and asked about the tree farm. Someone gave Tim directions...turn left past the school and it's in Cottonwood. We got to Cottonwood and it was so cool....abandoned old buildings that had once been a hub of activity. We stopped and read the historic marker...it was settled after the Native Americans were pushed out in the the late 1800s and was peaceful but gun battles were not uncommon. There's an abandoned church that is amazing. It would make a beautiful setting for a wedding....white and worn with decorative trim above the windows which are big and clear, a cool old door, and a steeple. They also have a community center that obviously used to be their school and there's an old bank and post office. We rode through town twice because we were lost. At the other end of town the paved road ends and continues in two directions. There is a sign at this point telling you how far each way everyone's farm or ranch lies. But the sign didn't help us. We drove back into town and Tim stopped a couple in a truck to ask if they knew where the tree farm was. They did and said that they were headed that way also to get a tree. We followed them back to that same fork in the road and we went to the left to The Childress Farm....just past the bag your own pecans farm. We can tell right away that we are in the right place....trees. We drive up but there isn't anyone in sight until an older women driving a fourwheeler pulls up beside us. There was something so appealling about this woman...older, healthy, fit, light in her eyes....she told us to pick any tree that we like and cut it and bring it to the corner to be shaken. We start on our search but the trees are all so very different from any trees that we have ever seen used for Christmas...some of them were even blue...I mean really blue...they were called Arizona cypress. There were Afghan pines and Leyland Cypress. We chose a Leland Cypress. Obviously, it is too tall. I will give you an after picture when it is decorated.
On the farm they had emus. They were such cool animals. Big fat bodies with feathers that drape over their bodies and thick strong legs and tiny heads with inquisitive eyes. I would like to have visited with them longer.
I described the wife to you but her husband seemed like a typical Texas farmer....leathery from the weather, friendly, handy and talkative. They lived in a house that was mostly round on top of a hill. The first floor of the house was completely underground except some windows...cool.
On the way into the farm and out we saw the biggest pig that we have ever seen. Remember the big mean pig from Charlotte's Web...that is what that pig looked....huge, furry and with a furry, curling tail.
What a fun adventure we had today. We were gone for about 4 hours but it was worth it.
Our tree reminded me of one of my favorite Christmas books from when I was little...Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree.

I Did Ask.....Dance with Me

2007-12-06T08:20:00.000-08:00

I borrowed this from Candy's blog.....because I love it.
Really, I would prefer if you dance with me...don't put carrots out.

I Had To Give You An Ava Update

2007-11-28T20:29:00.001-08:00

Ava talked with me the other night on the phone. She said hi to me several times and blew me a kiss over the phone after I told her bye and goodnight. I would love to be with her in person right now. She is so sweet.

So Fun

2007-11-26T17:18:00.000-08:00

Amarillo was so fun. Ken and Jeanette were gracious hosts to all who invaded their house....me, Tim, Drew, Mary Kate, Lucy, Stacie, Darek, Lera, A.J., Janaye and Christina. We all stayed with them in their cozy house. We played games....Apples to Apples, Pit, Scrabble, Mexican Train Dominoes, the Dictionary game and Catchphrase. We watched Hairspray. We talked. We laughed. We looked at Lera and A.J.'s wedding pictures that Stacie and Darek took. They were beautiful pictures. We cooked. We ate....

Amarillo, Here We Come

2007-11-21T07:40:00.001-08:00

When I finish making sweet potato casserole and chocolate chip cake, we are leaving for Amarillo to spend Thanksgiving with Ken, Jeanette, Stacie, Darek, Lera, A.J., Janaye and my family. It will be so fun to all be together. I know that we will play games, talk, eat, possibly watch movies, possibly take a hike in Palo Duro Canyon and maybe go visit the museum where Cliff Vanderpool is the director. Good times to come.
Mom, I will be missing your dressing. If I come home some other time of the year, would you make dressing again? Please?

She's Going, She's Going, She's Going!

2007-11-19T18:05:00.001-08:00

Today brought very good news. Mary Kate is no longer on the waiting list but on the list to go to Oxford, England on ACU's Study Abroad program.
She was running towards me when I came out of work today and saying, "I'm going to Oxford!"
Yay!

Good Friend

2007-11-17T08:05:00.000-08:00

This video moved me. I found it on Jen Lemen's blog. This is my message for all of you, my friends, on this Saturday.
The singer is Ruthie Foster.

Apology

2007-11-15T07:35:00.000-08:00

I really didn't mean to be making fun of John McCain's misfortune. Even now knowing his history of melanoma, I still would like to moisturize his face. If you have known me for a long time or have traveled with me or lived at camp with me or knew me as a little girl, then you know that I have very dry skin and lotion is my best friend. I probably use more lotion than anyone else that you know. I want to do the same for John McCain...lotion could be his friend.

--------------------

This past weekend we had two very special guests at our house....Tammy Selby and Debbie Tunick. It was so good to laugh and talk with both of them....it just wasn't long enough. The first night that they were here, we all got in bed ....not the same bed, of course.....and the thought just kept running through my head that it felt so good to have them in our house. They both look great and their hugs were so warm...
Do you have friends like that? Friends that you wish could stay and never leave?

John McCain

2007-11-13T18:25:00.001-08:00

Okay, you might be thinking that this post would be political but it is not. I just saw John McCain on the Daily Show and every time that I see him I think the same thing. I really don't know much about his political stand but I do know that he needs a good moisturizer. Every time I see him he makes my face hurt...his face looks too dry and I am afraid to see him smile...well, come to think of it, I don't think that I have ever seen him smile. Maybe that is why.

Been A Long Time Gone

2007-11-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in ages. Life has been busy and so much going on in my head. I will not share the craziness in my head but will share what has been happening.
Today I will be teaching at the West Texas Girls Conference. I will be teaching Middle School girls about prayer. I really won't be teaching...really I will just be guiding them in prayer. There will be candles around the room and music playing. They will have large pieces of sketch and some of their prayer will be on the paper and some will be just feeling the presence of God. I will ask you to pray that it all goes well and somehow they feel God in that time and space. I will teach the same class three times to three different groups.
Last weekend was the Abilene High - Cooper game. Big cross town rivalry...fun to be in the crowd but the game was kind of boring. Abilene High won too easily. Lucy goes to Abilene High and Mary Kate graduated from there but Tim is a counselor at Cooper. He was conflicted. The fans are intense and we were sitting on the Abilene High side and sometimes Tim would cheer or clap for Cooper...that could've been bad if the game had been close.
October 27th we went to a wedding. Katie Riggs and Matt Maxwell got married at Jacob's Dream. Matt's dad is the sculptor. It was a beautiful wedding....warm and unconventional. Katie and Matt are so in love but they don't keep that love to themselves....it spills over to all those around them and that is what will make their marriage beautiful. They are both involved with the children at church and they invited them all to their wedding and the children were thrilled. My favorite shot was of them greeting some of them right after being pronounced husband and wife.
Drew is home and it is good to have him here. Right now he is working at Little Panda....happens to be my favorite Chinese place. Yay!

Addendum

2007-10-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

I forgot a few items on my desk on my blog yesterday. Mary Kate came by my office and told me that I had forgotten a few items and I should add those to my list.

stapler
scotch tape
cup filled with pens and highlighters
rolodex
three-hole punch
speakers for computer
pile of pictures from trip West this summer

The charts are now fewer and I hope to clear it off more tomorrow.

My Desk

2007-10-24T15:39:00.001-07:00

My desk at work has become progressively covered with stuff. I know that I need more space in my office to store stuff and to actually store stuff so that it is accessible to me all day.
I thought that I would describe my desk to you or more accurately, tell you all the things that are on my desk.

Two large computer monitors
one keyboard
a mousepad with a mouse
those little pads to cushion your wrists while typing and mousing
one RN magazine
two small photo albums filled with pictures of the staff at PG hospital Labor and Delivery
a large black telephone
my cell phone
my car key
parts for a spirometer
box containing a drug education program
two Bibles-one Message and one TNiV
Two framed pictures of Ava
a pear that I brought this morning
a 33 oz. styrofoam cup with ice water in it
more charts than I can count quickly
several post-it notes with things on them that I need to do
a bill from a medical supply company
a plastic lab bag
a large bottle of expired ibuprofen
3 sample packets of aspirin
a tourniquet for blood draws
a birthday card from a student worker
a very large basket filled with amazing fruit and flowers from Ann for my birthday

I know, I know....there is too much on my desk.
One day I had been piled high with charts and got to the bottom and there was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that had been smushed. It was in the ziplock baggie and so, I still ate it. It was pretty good.

Oh, and an update from boot camp...I did all our pushups while on my toes and not my knees. I think that we did 40 but it may have been more. We probably did 100 situps. Yoga is getting easier but my favorite is Tai Chi.

Weekend

2007-10-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

This has been an interesting weekend.
Thursday brought a fun new person into my life. We are related and so we share an ancestor, Mordecai McKinney Cox. He was ggg grandfather and her gg grandfather. I told you about him before. She had googled him and came to my blog. She lives in Scotland. She said that she had some unidentified pictures and she would send them to me. The very first picture she sent was of three girls standing in front of what appears to be an adobe brick house. The girl in the middle is holding a baby. They are not smiling but do look content. A very old woman is standing in the background watching them get their picture taken. My newfound family member in Scotland said that the woman in the middle looks like her cousins. As soon as I saw the picture I knew that the one standing in the middle was my grandmother, Nellie Anna Champion Bailey. My mother identified the rest of them. This has been so fun. Also found out that the great grandfather or possibly grandfather of Mordecai's wife, Nancy Emmaline Dodd, fought in the Revolutionary War. His name was Jesse Dodd. Can't wait to find out more.

Went to the ACU musical last night. This year they did Aida. I loved it! Jasmine, Johnathon and Jenavene were incredible! The audience was so into it and that made it even more fun.
At intermission I started talking to the girls and mentioned to them that I wished I had a mint. Just a few seconds later the man in front of me offered me a mint. I just wished and there it was. It was a fun moment. Thanks to whoever you are.
I had free tickets to the musical and they were great seats. Thanks to Donna Hester.

Tonight I walked out onto my front porch and quickly stepped back in. There was a snake on my front porch. Not a tiny snake or a huge one....but enough of a snake to startle me.

Gillian Welch

2007-10-17T15:42:00.001-07:00

Orphan Girl by Gillian Welch

I am an orphan on God's highway
But I'll share my troubles if you go my way
I have no mother no father
No sister no brother
I am an orphan girl

I have had friendships pure and golden
But the ties of kinship I have not known them
I know no mother no father
No sister no brother
I am an orphan girl

But when He calls me I will be able
To meet my family at God's table
I'll meet my mother my father
My sister my brother
No more orphan girl

Blessed Savior make me willing
And walk beside me until I'm with them
Be my mother my father
My sister my brother
I am an orphan girl

You really have to hear her sing this to truly appreciate it. Drew gave me this CD and I am loving it. I will post lyrics to another favorite tomorrow. Go to her website and listen.